Mobile customer engagement mandatory for B2B sector

The study shows that the business-to-business sector (B2B) regarding Customer acquisition and retention is undergoing a process of change. In the USA 559 billion is already being invested in this area. US-dollars annually - more than twice the amount of the B2C-business.

B2B-Players who do not jump on the online and mobile bandwagon risk losing market share in the short to medium term and their competitiveness in the long term.

"B2B-Businesses need to develop effective e-commerce strategies as soon as possible, otherwise they run the risk of their customers leaving for competitors who are already further along this path."

explains Brian Walker, Senior Vice President Strategy at Hubris.

B2B-customers are used to finding out about products online and now want to transfer this behavior to the business area. The study underlines this trend: 50 percent of the B2B-vendors who sell directly to business partners via the online channel indicate that their buyers either use their customer websites or B2B-You may use versions of these websites to order products and services.

69 percent of companies that sell directly to business partners via the online channel no longer intend to publish printed product catalogs within the next five years.

An important finding is that B2B-providers are investing large sums in delivering a world-class customer experience - a sensible decision given that e-commerce will account for up to 50 percent of their revenue in the coming years.

A majority of study participants also said that online sales have a significant impact on the way their customers interact with them. As was also evident, over 50 percent of the B2B-customers use mobile devices to research and purchase products online.

"Being mobile is becoming more and more important for the B2Be-commerce is becoming more and more valuable. Companies must therefore develop suitable strategies that provide their customers with a seamless shopping experience - regardless of whether they shop online on a traditional PC or with a mobile device".

Walker adds.

In addition, Forrester analysts found that online-only customers are more likely to add additional items to their shopping carts, order larger quantities, and place repeat orders than customers who buy offline-only.

Also cross and Upselling-Strategies and loyalty programs are more effective with this customer group.

"The B2B-E-commerce gives customers complete control over their buying experience. Their expectations are correspondingly high for technologies that allow them to research, buy and use services according to their wishes".

Brian Walker observes.

"In order to survive in terms of sales and customer loyalty over the long term, we must B2B-offer companies an online experience that is similar to that of the B2C-sector and covers the entire customer lifecycle."